Railroad signal device.



. PATENTED AUG. 20, 1907. W. MICHEL.

RAILROAD SIGNAL DEVICE. APPLIUATION FILED APH. e. 1907.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

TTOHNEY Nol 863,865.l PATENTED AUG. zo, 1907.

W. MIGHEL. RAILROAD SIGNAL DEIGE.

APPLICATION FILED APR.8. 1907.

SHEETS-SHEET 2.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

RAILROAD SIGNAL DE VICE Speeiication of Letters lPatent.

Patented Aug. 20, 1907.

Application filed April B;1907. Serial No. 366,920-

'1o all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that I, WILLIAM MICHEL, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Columbus, in the county of Franklin and State of Ohio, have made and invented certain new and useful Improvements in Railroad Signal Devices, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to an improved railroad signaling device, and more particularly to that kind or character thereof comprising a lever or stop to be located adjacentY to the rail or rails to operate a valve. located at some convenient place on the locomotive, whereby t o blowja whistle in the cab, light an electric lamp, ring a bell, set air brake, or operate some other signaling device when it is attempted by the engineer to pass a semaphore or other signal when set at` danger, the object of the invention being to provide an automatic device which shall be simple in constrciction, easily, readily and cheaply applied, certain in its operations, and so arranged that there will bc little danger of its getting out of order. l

With these and other ends in view, the invention conslsts in certain novel features of construction and combinations of parts, as will be hereinafter fully described and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings Figure l is a plan View of my improved device, a portion thereof being secured to the ties between the rails, and the other portion to the pilot of a locomotive. Fig. 2 is a view in .side elevation showing the stop plate in its raised or vertical position. Fig. 3 is a view in perspective of that part of the device located between the rails, and

showing the stop plate in'iits lowered position. Fig. 4

is a longitudinal sectional view of the device shown in Fig. 3.

Referring to the drawings, A-A represent the rails of a railroadjraclr, resting upon thoties B-B. At convenient or selected placosalong the track, and

.preferably near the semaphore or other signals, are located the levers or stops to engage with the devices with which the locomotives are equipped, saidv stops consisting of a shaft 10, located between and lying parallel with two of the ties B-B, held inpropor rclative positions by the plates C-C bolted thereto, the ends of said shaft being journaled in bearings, ach consisting of the bar or plate 11, bolted or otherwise secured to the ties, and the bent or/curvcd plate or bar 12, bolted or otherwise secured to.the plate l1. To one extreme end of the shaft 10, and preferably to that end o said shaft which extends beyond the inner rail of the track, is secured one end of the lever 13, the opposite end of said lever having secured thereto one end of' the operating rod 14, the latter in turn being connected With a train order signal, block signal, distance signal, derail, or such other signal ordevice, as may bc desired.

On the shaft 10, and to the right of thc center of the track, looking in thel direction of lh(- train movement, is mounted the stop plate .15, held in its propr-r normal position by means of the springs 16-17, r-oilod around said shaft, one end of said spring 16 being tightly secured to the collar 18 affixed to said shaft, and the opposite end of said spring `being secured to one side of said plate 15. One end of the spring 17 is secured to the opposite side of the plate 15, 1hrothcr end of the spring being tightly secured to thc collar lf), also alixcd to said shaft, the tendency of these springs boing to rctain the stop plate l5 in its vertical position, as illustratcd in Fig. 4 when the trainordcr signal, block signal, distance signal, or derail is set for stop or danger, and to which signal the stop plate is indirectly conm-cted by the operating rod 1.4, lever 13, and shaft l0.

It will be understood, of course, that when the block or other signal with which the operating rod 14 is connected, is lowered or moved to a position to indicate safety or clear track, the shaft l0 will be rotated and the stop plate carried by the springs to a lowered or inclined position, as illustrated in Fig. 3 in order that it may be cleared by the cooperating devices with which the locomotive is equipped. By so constructing and arranging the stop plate or lever, it will he seen that should it be struck by ash pan, brake beam, or other portion of the locomotive or cars, tbe-yielding springs 1G and 17 will permit of its being lowered thereby, no matter in which direction the train may be moving, and thereby avoid any `injury to oridestruction of said plate, or contacting portion of the train.

As before described, the stop plate ispreferably located to thelright of the center of the track, looking in the direction of thc train movement, in order that when in its vertical position it will come in contact with the cooperating devices located at the right of the center of the locomotive pilot, and thereby be operated by a train running in the direction of danger and entirely cleared by a train running in the opposite direction. i

To the pipe 20, comprising a part of the train lino, is connected the branch pipe 21, the opposite und of which secured to the locomotive pilot,is provided with the valve 22, formed with a bolc'or opening for the escape ordisf-hargc of air. This valve is provided with the lever 23 to which is secured one end of the valve rod 24, the opposite end of said rod passing through and supported in the guide plate 25, also secured to the locomotive pilot, said valve rod being so arranged that it will strike the stop plate 15 when the latter is in its vertical position, a guard plate or same, end of said valve rod from coming in Contact with any obstruction that may be From the foregoing it Will be understood that when the semaphore or other signal is placed at danger, and the stop plate l5 is in its raised position, said plate will be the valve rod 24 should the engineer fail to act under direction of the and 17 is such as to allow the stop plate to yield to the impact oi the blow and thereby permit said plate to be lowered,

yet 1t is suilicient to cause the valve rod `2-'1 to operate the valve 22, the etiect being to allow of the discharge or escape of the air in the train pipe 20, and canse the brakes to be operated, a whistle blown in the cab, or other visible or audible signal given to the engineer in accordance with the mechanism to which the valve rod may be connected and intended to operate.

While I have shown and described the valve rod 24 as operating a Valve 22 communicating with the train line 20, it will be evident that such may be arranged to operate any electrical or other signal no Way yielding means connected to the shatt and said stop plate,v

and adapted to retain said stop plate in its vertical position when the signal is set at danger, a rod secured to the locomotive and adapted to strike the stop plate, and means connected with said rod for operating a signal, snhstantially as described.

i. In a device of the phore or other signal, raised when said signal is set at danger and lowered when said signal is set' at clear, a valve rod connected with tbe pilot: of a locomotive and projectingr forwardlv ot`- the said pilot and adapted to strike. said stop plate when the latter is in its raised or vertical position, of a valve connnnnicatinel with the train pipe and connected with and operated by said valve rod. snbstantialLr as described.

.'i. In a device ot' the character described, the eoinbination with a springactuated lvieldincr stop plate located between the rails and to the righi. of the center oi' the track looking in the direction ot' the train movement, of means vertical at danger, and in its said signal lowered position when said signal is set at connected with the train pipe and and a valve rod connected to clear, provided with a and operatingr a pipe valve, said valve and J adapted to strike said stop plate whenthe latter is in its raised position, said valve rod being supported by the locomotive pilot: and projectingr forwardly thereof, snbstantially as described.

Signed at Columbus, State of Ohio, this 4 in the county of Franklin, and day of April A. D. 1907.

WILLIAM MICHEL. 

